Grave marker



Nov. 11,1941. 7 w. J. JOHNSON GRAVE MARKER Filed March 22, 1940 INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY.

VZZy

Patented Nov. 11, 1941 UNI TE D STAT E S PAT EN T OF F! C E j GRAVE. MARKER William J; ohnson, Detroit, Mich.

Application March 22, 1940, Serial No. 325,429

'2 Claims.

This inventionrelates primarilyto grave markers, although it lends itself to general adver tising signs, and more especially to those intended for Outdoor use, such as real estate signs;

and has forits object toprovide a simple device which may be constructed of sheet metal, which may be finished to simulate granite or stone, and which will be sturdy both in appearance and construction.

It is also an object to provide a device of the type referred to in which the lettering or display may be varied to suit the desires of the user, in

which the method of applying the characters or symbols is verysimple but practical, and in which the fastening means for the letters or symbols are effectively concealed both from View and from undue access of the elements as well as being protected against unauthorized tampering or interference therewith.

Still further objects or advantages subsidiary to the aforesaid objects, or resulting from the construction or operation as the invention may be carried into effect, will become apparent as the said invention is hereinafter further disclosed.

In carrying the saidinvention into effect, I may utilize the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, by way of example, having reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of a grave marker embodying a simple form of the said invention;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of one of the individual character plates removed;

Figure 3 is a broken perspective detail view of part of the front plate of a marker, illustrating a modified arrangement of the parts; 1

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on a plane indicated by the line 4-4, in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a-vertical section of the same taken on a plane indicated by the line 5-5, in Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a similar section to Figure 5, illustrating a further modification of the arrangement, and; V

Figure 7 is a similar section to Figure 4, illustrating the arrangement of Figure 6.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts in the several figures of the drawing.

I0 indicates the front plate of a grave marker, or similar information-bearing device, which plate Ill is shown as having a rearwardly extending marginal flange H and also being provided with a downwardly extending shank portionlZ, while I3 is a back plate spanning the rearwardly extending marginal flange of the front plate .Ill and is suitably attached thereto in any convenient manner. I4 is a post suitably secured in the shank portion l2 of the deviceto enable the said device to be supported from the ground or other base as may be desired.

Referring first'to the arrangement dfFigures 1 and 2; the metal or material of the plate 'lll is shown as being embossed inwardly at l5 to provide elongated recesses extending more or less across the said plate l0, which recesses are backed by the wall I6, the metal or material of the said front plate being severed or slotted at H so that lettered or character plates I8 may be passed through the saidslot I! into the recess from the rear of the plate ID, as will be obvious from the drawing.

It is desirable that these character plates be held in position against too ready displacement from their determined location, and for such reason I have shown the said plates l8 as provided with rearward downwardly depending clips l9 adapted to engage the back of the members Hi; and to still further ensure the security of the character plates in position, I prefer to provide the said members l6 each with a rearwardly pressed or extruded rib 20, with which rib an oiiset or latch portion 2| provided on the clip I9 may engage, as the drawing clearly shows. It will be obvious that the rib 2E) of the clip l9 may be positioned to merely engage beneath the lower limit of the recessed portion 15 of the front plate in which case the rib too may be eliminated.

In Figures 3, 4 and 5, I show the character plates 22 as being in the form of simple rectangular plates carried by a bezel 23 of a suitable section to provide for the accommodation of the said character plates 22 and for a back plate 24, which back plate is secured in the bezel by means of tabs 25 projecting from the rear edge of the bezel and adapted to be bent over behind the back plate after the said back plate has been inserted in the bezel, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 5. The said back plate is provided with a plurality of rearwardly extending ears or tabs 26 adapted to be inserted through correspondingly provided openings 21 in the plate H] of the marker or device and thereafter clinched over behind the said plate ill to secure the assembly in position.

A somewhat similar arrangement is shown in Figures 6 and '7, except for the method of securing the assembly to the plate l0, and in this example the said plate III has a channel 28 pressed or formed therein, said channel 28 being open at its ends, and the back plate 29 of the bezel assembly is also formed with a similar channel 30 nesting in the channel 28 of the plate I 0 and of such depth that the open ends of the channel 30 are exposed behind the rear of the plate l0, whereby a ribbon or wire 3! may be threaded therethrough and suitably secured, as about the back of the channel 28, to lock the bezel assembly in position. The ends of this ribbon or wire 3! may be brought together behind the said channel 28 and mutually engaged, as at 32, by passing one end through a suitably provided opening in the other end of the member, or by simply twisting the ends together if so desired.

When the plate I3 is secured in position on the back of the device as a whole, tampering with the assembly is prevented and the said device is given both solid construction and appearance, the parts are readily assembled without calling for any great degree of experience, and the final assembled appearance of the device makes a very attractive unit.

This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of the said invention, and it is desired that the specification and drawing be read as being merely illustrative andnot in a strictly limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a front plate having an elongated horizontal channel formed therein and open at its ends, a bezel about the opening in the plate formed by said channel, character plates carried by said bezel, a separable backing plate behind said character plates and also carried by said bezel, said backing plate being of channel formation nesting in said first mentioned channel, and means securing said channeled backing plate in said first mentioned channel.

2. In a device of the class described, a front plate having an elongated horizontal channel formed therein and open at its ends, a bezel about the opening in the plate formed by said channel, character plates carried by said bezel, a separable backing plate behind said character plates and also carried by said bezel, said backing plate being of channel formation nesting in said first mentioned channel, and a securing element extending through the channel of said backing plate and engaged behind said first mentioned channel.

WILLIAM J. JOHNSON. 

